Society often says that equality for all different groups of people is either being achieved or has already been achieved... Discussing and issuing this somewhat ignorant and false idea in western societies is what I intend to do in this thread. I've decided to make a non exhaustive list of the privileges I get simply because I was born straight, white, cisgender, middle class thin male.

People frequently respond to these disadvantages by saying things like But white people or straight people are discriminated against too - First, this is not a competition to see who suffers more with racism or homophobia... Fine, being discriminated and prejudiced against is terrible, but white or straight people cannot be oppressed because they are the ones holding significant power over the media, economy, means of production and political offices in western societies - For oppression to exist, one group needs to possess social power over the disadvantaged group (and it doesn't need to be a minority) - That's something white people predominantly have (mostly males) and black people mostly don't. White people can be victims of racism but they can't be oppressed and the problem isn't anywhere as serious as racism against people of colour. This small parallelism is just an example and it's not by any means exhaustive.

Here's a list, with no particular order, of the privileges I get simply because I was born unwillingly like this:
1 - For being straight:
- I'm not seen as an abnormality, mentally deficient or disgusting person because I'm straight, or simply as someone different (highlight for the popular comments of straight females saying it is a waste when a specific hot male is gay)
- I'm not less likely to not get hired or be fired because I'm straight
- I don't need to come out of the closet because most people share the same sexual orientation as me and I can comfortably talk about it with them
- Religions don't consider my sexual orientation as sinful and an abomination
- I'm not mocked, ridiculed or discriminated over something I have no control over, this includes insults, social discrimination and prejudice, and even crimes committed against gay people
- People don't comment on specific sexual practices I might have as a straight person (i.e. Anal sex between gay men, as if all gay men had only anal sex)
- I have full equality legally when it comes to both adoption and marriage
- I'm not assumed to be less of a man because I'm straight
- I'm not associated with idiotic stereotypes like being more effeminate, or having a specific haircut, or wearing pink/girly clothes
- Media represents straight people well and there isn't a news coming out everytime a celebrity tells someone she/he is homosexual
- My sexual orientation isn't assumed to not exist, like bisexuality or asexuality, and those are frequently associated with stereotypes like bisexuality being just in the closet homosexuality
Note - All the same principles apply to lesbians by analogy, with some adaptations
2 - For being white:
- I'm assumed to be the standard person because of my skin colour, and other people are seen as exceptions and determined or identified by their skin colour, while I'm just assumed to be a person and I am identified by my personality
- I'm not more likely to be incarcerated, falsely accused of committing a crime, serving on average higher sentences than other people, and being the subject of police brutality
- I'm not assumed by society to be either a criminal, a poor person or a welfare queen
- I don't constantly hear jokes, sometimes annoying or offensive, about white people and stuff white people do
- I make on average a higher salary because I'm white, and I'm more likely to get a decent job or be hired at all
- No one forces me to not grow my natural hair at a socially acceptable length since it is not afro (Seriously black people have been fired for not changing their natural hairstyle)
- I don't hear a wide amount of stereotypes about my ethnicity, from the most insignificant like You must know how to dance because you're black to the most serious
- There's good media representation of me, the media doesn't sensationalize a news everytime a white person commits a crime, and most film, series and other forms of art protagonists and characters are white and don't fit into stupid stereotypes like the ghetto nigga' or the nerdy asian
- My race is not used as an objectified form of fetish to please others (i.e. People who say they have a thing for black people, they only date that specific group because they are black, and not because of who they might be as people) - Just watch asian or ebony porn to get a better glimpse
3 - For being cisgender:
- I'm not considered an abnormality, a freak of nature because I'm comfortable with the sex I was born with
- I'm not marginalized, prejudiced against and wrongly represented in the media
- I don't have a much harder time getting a job or getting promoted
- I don't hear mean misinformed stereotypes about me like you're just confused or insults like Trans are just gross yuck!
- I'm not judged by the entire society, from conservatives to even liberals, as someone who is not worthy of the same respect or equality as others
- Media representations of cisgender people are good and accurate, not stupid or non existent
4 - For being middle class:
- I'm not assumed by others to be lazy, and I'm not constantly blamed for being the responsible of my financial/economical situation
- I have enough money to afford a decent education and have good prospects for my future because I don't live in a segregated urban area
- I'm not constantly blamed for Gross Domestic Product drops
- Other people don't tell me I'm lucky to even receive a minimum wage
- Most importantly, I have food, water, clothing, shelter and basic human needs fully satisfied without needing government assistance and consequently being judged or discriminated against because of it
- There's not dumb stereotypes about me, such as poor people are less educated they probably can't even read
5 - For being thin (Note - I'm actually 5kg overweight but I'm still inside the norm)
- I'm not assumed to be unhealthy just because I'm thin, even if in fact I sit by the couch watching TV all day long and never exercise
- My health problems aren't automatically linked to my body fat, because apparently being fat is the cause to all diseases someone might have (irony)
- I'm not less likely to get hired, to have a well paid job, in the US I don't pay higher health insurance, I'm not less likely to be considerable a credible witness in court
- I'm not insulted, laughed at or advised (diets) by others randomly because I'm fat
- My body is usually not an object of fetish, and it also isn't considered disgusting and sexually joked at
- I'm not assumed to be lazy just because I'm thin, as if physical activity is the only determinant factor to say if someone is lazy or not
6 - For being male:
- When I make a mistake or do something wrong, chances are no one will say the cause of it is the fact I'm a male
- Media representations of me don't produce shallow characters that only serve the roles of husbands or sons or fathers, who are weak and submissive or annoying/useless - In fact, forms of art and entertainment don't constantly portray me as sex objects meant to be used and commercials don't objectify male bodies, I'm depicted as powerful, strong and manly and not as submissive or passive, with highlight on body parts
- I make better wages than women, occupy most of CEO jobs, media director positions, executive and political offices
- I don't have females creating laws to control my body
- I don't have to worry about the fact that I either can't get a safe or affordable abortion, or being discriminated and prejudiced if I did get an abortion and people knew about it
- I'm less likely to suffer domestic violence, be raped or be victim blamed
- I'm not attributed inferior gender roles like being passive, submissive, docile, nice, caring, or obligated to have kids - Instead I'm attributed characteristics like aggression, strength and I'm encouraged to financial and personal success, I'm not seen as weird if I don't have kids
- I'm not slut-shamed by females or by other men - If I dress revealing clothes the most that will happen is to be called provocative, crazy, or thug if my clothes are associated with criminal activity but I'll never be called bitch, slut, whore... and other similar insults
- I'm not less likely to get the job if I have the exact same qualification as a female counterpart, and I'm not paid less for the same job
- Society doesn't encourage males to hate, slut shame or compete between each other fiercely, on the contrary, it incentives men to be friends and support each other, to not see other men as their enemy and rivals, and so I don't have to worry every other men will be starring at what I dress or how I behave
- I'm not forced into a culture that places an overwhelmingly high value on my physical appearance, portrayed by impossible and unrealistic media depictions that causes depression, anger or mental issues, eating disorders and so on - I'm not taught that my value is based on how pretty I look but rather on how successful I am
- I don't constantly hear jokes or stereotypes about me, from the less serious like You women are really crazy to other more mean like You drive an expensive car? Your husband must have bought it for you

---» A combination of two or more of characteristics or social statuses that don't fit the standard will result on higher discrimination, i.e. A black, lesbian female poor person will experience much more discrimination than a white straight middle class female (for example women of colour make even less wages than white women)


These lists are not meant to be exhaustive, or to create an hierarchy of severity - The privileges I get are not ordered by importance, it's completely randomized - This is just meant to demonstrate how social oppression, prejudice, discrimination and power still exist with simply daily facts and events to others that occur rarely (but still happen).

Feel free to comment, debate, discuss or add something more, I'll enjoy the feedback

Note - Ethnicity and race are used by me as synonym, as it is common amongst Europeans and European legislation

I don't seem to be enjoying all of those privileges in my life...............do I need a card or something so that everyone can clearly see that I belong to the club and should be treated with the deference due?

(December 27, 2014 at 10:31 am)Rhythm Wrote: I don't seem to be enjoying all of those privileges in my life...............do I need a card or something so that everyone can clearly see that I belong to the club and should be treated with the deference due?

Yes you do, public transportation does a great job at segregating urban areas from each other.

No, Blackout, I really don't. I wouldn't go so far as to say that no one does, anywhere. Or that simply because I'm not privy to the party membership benefits they don't exist. After all, it's your list and a good portion of it will be specific to your situation and your culture. My list would be different...and probably shorter.

(ah public transportation..I actually miss that, limited as it is in the states.)

(December 27, 2014 at 10:45 am)Rhythm Wrote: No, Blackout, I really don't. I wouldn't go so far as to say that no one does, anywhere. Or that simply because I'm not privy to the party membership benefits they don't exist. After all, it's your list and a good portion of it will be specific to your situation and your culture. My list would be different...and probably shorter.

(ah public transportation..I actually miss that, limited as it is in the states.)

Of course, it all depends on one's situation and culture - But most of those facts are prevalent in western societies, and that includes the USA - In fact I'd say given the social, cultural and political differences between Europe and the US, it's more likely that in the later discrimination may be aggravated (I'm thinking about the South, and Republicans...). Logically not all people of all groups suffer from discrimination

Yes, but I have a blog that makes fun of people like you. So there is that.

Also barely on topic but does anybody else think that gender identity has gone too far? There are more gender identities than I can fucking keep track of. I don't have the energy to be so sensitive to everybody's public sexual quirks.

I'm not really big on guilt trips, especially based on uncontrollables.

(December 27, 2014 at 1:16 pm)CapnAwesome Wrote: Also barely on topic but does anybody else think that gender identity has gone too far? There are more gender identities than I can fucking keep track of. I don't have the energy to be so sensitive to everybody's public sexual quirks.

I don't think politeness is really limited solely by your willingness to extend it to others. This is kinda a silly argument you're making here.

Quote: I'm not really big on guilt trips, especially based on uncontrollables.

Nor do I- ideally- think that discussions on privilege need be guilt trips; recognition does not necessarily confer guilt or blame. You're right: if you can't control something you shouldn't be guilty over it. But the fact that you can't control it also doesn't mean it ceases to exist.

(December 27, 2014 at 2:05 pm)Esquilax Wrote:

(December 27, 2014 at 1:16 pm)CapnAwesome Wrote: Also barely on topic but does anybody else think that gender identity has gone too far? There are more gender identities than I can fucking keep track of. I don't have the energy to be so sensitive to everybody's public sexual quirks.

I don't think politeness is really limited solely by your willingness to extend it to others. This is kinda a silly argument you're making here.

I don't really get your point. Of course politeness is limited on my willingness to extend it to others. That is all that it really is. I'm not willing to be sensitive to people's made up gender identities, more of which magically crop up everyday. I find it to be stupid. If someone tells me they are bicisflogendered, I will probably just ignore it and make fun of them later. Luckily online you can just make fun of it right away, because it's dumb.

The only reason privilege are ever mentioned is to guilt trip people and make them feel bad and make the accuser seem like they know what they are talking about. You can't change your privlildges and bringing them up adds nothing to the conversation but to discredit you and imply that your opinion isn't as valid. You're a man, so you can't talk about abortion. You're white, so you can't talk about racism. You're straight, so you can't talk about homosexuality. You're cis so you can't talk about gender disphoria. You're rich so you can't talk about poverty.
And it's bloody damaging too. Anyone remember that story about that guy that got mugged. He said he deserved it because of his white male privilege. And what's more than that, it creates a culture of victim hood. Just look at Ferguson. Because of the 'apparent' discrimination against Micheal Brown, he was shot and killed. And what does the black community of Ferguson do? They riot and loot their own damn city. They did it because of white priviledge and the disadvantages they think this causes for them. Sure, blacks are definately discriminated against but that just means they have to be extra careful to not break the law and give racist cops and excuse to go after them. And yet they continue to perpetuate black stereotypes and actually provide evidence for and encourage the discrimination that they are fighting against in the first place, by committing crimes such as the looting of Ferguson. And all this because they feel like the victims and so are entilted to act they way they do.